Development Of A New Integrated Student Agency To Increase The Number Of Minorities With Advanced Degrees In Engineering: Atmo

ATMO which stands for Academic, Training and Career Management Office within the Center of Advanced Microwave Research and Applications (CAMRA) is a new student agency developed at Morgan State University (MSU) whose goal is to integrate research and training into an academic curriculum to help increase the number of minorities to obtain advanced degrees in engineering. Currently, minorities have the lowest percentage of graduates who receive advanced degrees in engineering. By embedding advanced technical training during a student’s freshmen and sophomore years of an undergraduate curriculum, students are not only motivated, but also have the skill sets needed to participate in research. After training, the student applies technical skills learned to an advanced research project provided by collaborative relationships with industry, the university, or faculty members. The integration of research and training increases the student’s confidence to compete academically among fellow peers, improves graduate retention, and improves a student’s academic performance. Because of the demands of these added components within the already demanding engineering curriculum, effective management and tracking of these students is paramount for successful matriculation. In order to assist students in managing the additional pressures within this unique academic environment, ATMO provides additional student support services to the clientele it serves. As a result, students are more likely to apply to graduate school and enter with higher GPAs. In 1999, a beta group of entering freshmen minorities were chosen, tracked, and monitored to determine the potential impact of integrating research and training within an academic undergraduate engineering curriculum. Initial results showed 100% retention and average GPA’s greater than 3.5/4.0. This document will describe the potential impact of the initial results to future minority students. In addition, ATMO’s infrastructure and the potential impact of ATMO’s human resource management strategies on student retention and academic performance will be addressed.